1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to biosensors, and more particularly to a biosensor having a feature for positioning a finger.
2. Description of Related Art
With the rapid economic development and the change of modern people's lifestyle and dietary patterns, the global prevalence of diabetes has dramatically increased and diabetes has posed as one of the top challenges to the medical science. Diabetes is known as a chronic disease that cannot be cured completely but can only be effectively controlled to prevent complex complications caused thereby. Thus, for achieving good control of diabetes, a diabetic is always required to monitor his or her blood sugar level regularly.
Currently, using biosensors to measure blood sugar level is one of the most popular ways for diabetics to record and thereby monitor their blood sugar levels every day. As such biosensors, many glucose meters, for example, measure blood sugar levels by way of electrochemical method in recent years. The electrochemical method involves using electrodes and immobilized glucose oxidase or glucose dehydrogenase. Operation of a conventional glucose meter working upon this method typically includes the following steps. First, a test strip is inserted into the glucose meter to turn on the glucose meter automatically. Then a user uses a disposable blood lancet or a blood-sampling pen equipped with a blood lancet to puncture one fingertip and squeeze the finger to raise a drop of blood. Afterward, using his/her free hand, the user holds the glucose meter with the test strip installed, and aligns the window of the test strip with the drop of blood on his/her finger. As a result, the test strip absorbs the blood by capillarity and the enzyme-containing reagent therein reacts with the glucose in the blood to generate an electric current that is then converted by the glucose meter into a reading representing the blood sugar level and displayed at the screen of the glucose meter.
While the conventional glucose meter is easy to use and provides accurate measurement, a significant disadvantage thereof exists because the user needs to hold the glucose meter and aligns the window of the test strip precisely with the punctured, blood-oozing finger. To some aged people suffering from, for example, presbyopia or Parkinson's disease, or people having poor hand-eye coordination, it would be very difficult to align the small blood drop on one finger with the narrow test strip (typically having a width smaller than 1 centimeter) in the other hand, and once the user fails in alignment or moves his or her finger, the blood on the finger may fall and cause contamination. Thus, the conventional glucose meter needs to be improved.
Hence, it would be desired to have an improved biosensor that allows users to operate it with a single hand, or enables people with poor eyesight or with hand tremor to use it easily and conveniently.